German Patent Application No. DE 10 2013 210 941 A1 describes a method for operating a vehicle, the driving of the vehicle by a driver being monitored so that, based on the monitored driving, a driving parameter that describes the driving style of the driver is formed that is provided to a driver assistance system of the vehicle, so that when the vehicle is controlled using the driver assistance system the driving style of the driver is at least partly reproduced. Here, for example, the monitoring of the driving by the driver can be carried out using at least one sensor. Based on the corresponding measurement data of the sensors, the driving parameters can be formed. For example, using an interior compartment camera including a video sensor it can be monitored whether the driver regularly looks over his/her shoulder, for example when intending to change lanes or when turning.
In addition, German Patent Application No. DE 10 2009 005 730 describes a method for monitoring the attentiveness of a driver of a motor vehicle, having the following steps: ascertaining an actual direction of view, i.e., the direction in which the driver is looking; ascertaining a target direction of view, i.e., the direction in which the driver should look in order to safely drive the motor vehicle; evaluation of the actual direction of view based on the target direction of view in order to determine the attentiveness or inattentiveness of the vehicle driver; ascertaining a specified time within which inattentiveness of the vehicle driver can be tolerated; upon determining inattentiveness of the vehicle driver, acquisition of the time duration of the inattentiveness and comparison of this with the specified time; and issuing an alarm to the vehicle driver when the time duration is exceeded. In the method, the target direction of view and/or the specified time are ascertained as a function of a setting of a travel direction indicator, information concerning the course of a roadway in front of the motor vehicle, and/or information from a lane keeping assistant system.
In addition, in general an estimation of the direction of view of the driver is useful in order for example to check whether the driver is looking at the roadway in front of him/her and paying attention to the present traffic situation. Safety systems and driver assistance functions can make use of this information, for example by adapting warning steps as a function of the degree of attentiveness. Methods for checking the driver's attentiveness with respect to the traffic situation usually use (A) an observation system that makes it possible to estimate the head orientation of the driver and/or the direction of view of the driver, and (B) a comparison of the head orientation and/or direction of view with a plane that is to be regarded of the traffic situation (region of interest (ROI) or area of interest (AOI)). Diversion or inattentiveness is assumed if for example a deviation is recognized between the head orientation/direction of view and the defined ROI. However, this approach leads to difficulties when the driver shows behavior that indicates attentiveness but also has the result that the driver moves his head orientation/direction of view away from the ROI, such as when the driver looks over his/her shoulder or looks at the side mirror.